1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to identifying the visibility of targets and, in particular, to identifying the visibility of targets in an environment from locations in the environment.
2. Background
The visibility of targets in an environment may be important when gathering information about the targets in the environment. This information may include, for example, an identification of measurements for a number of parameters, a detection of movement, a detection of a speed of travel, a detection of a heat signature, a detection of a radio signal, and/or other suitable information about a target. This information may be gathered using, for example, sensors.
The sensors may need to be able to detect the targets to generate information about the targets. Further, the sensors may need to be placed in locations in the environment that will allow the sensors to detect the targets. For example, sensors may be attached to unmanned aerial vehicles. These unmanned aerial vehicles may be flown to, placed at, or attached to different locations in the environment that allow the sensors to detect the targets.
Typically, a sensor is configured to generate information for a target when a line of sight from the sensor to the target is unblocked. A line of sight is unblocked when objects in the environment do not block the line of sight from the sensor to the target. A line of sight is blocked when objects in the environment and/or portions of the objects are present along the line of sight.
Identifying a location for the placement of a sensor requires identifying a location in an environment that allows the sensor to have an unblocked line of sight to the target. In other words, the target may need to be visible from the location in the environment at which the sensor is placed.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to have a method and apparatus which takes into account one or more of the issues discussed above, as well as possibly other issues.